Cuisine wine judges

The Cuisine wine panel consists of three judges and an associate judge. The panel chair is John Belsham, highly respected international judge, winemaker and owner of Foxes Island Wines in Marlborough, as well as a wine consultant to Air New Zealand.

Australian wine authority Ralph Kyte-Powell joins the panel three times a year to judge and write up tastings for Australian Shiraz, NZ Cabernet and Merlot blends, Champagne, and international sparkling wines. Ralph has worked in the wine and hospitality industries for more than 30 years, and has travelled extensively. He writes a regular a column in The Age and is a former co-author of the Penguin Good Australian Wine Guide. The Cuisine panel also includes guest winemakers and wine specialists from New Zealand and Australia. Tasting notes for New Zealand wines are prepared by Cuisine’s NZ wine writer John Saker, also an associate judge.

John Belsham – Cuisine wine panel chair

Highly respected international judge and owner of Foxes Island Wines in Marlborough, John Belsham began his winemaking career in the Medoc region of Bordeaux, France, in 1977 and brings to the panel more than 35 years of experience in the wine industry.

Ralph Kyte-Powell – Australian wine judge and writer

Melbourne-based Ralph Kyte-Powell judges our Australian Shiraz, NZ Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and our Champagne and international sparkling tastings. He is the weekly wine columnist in The Age.

Tony Bish

Chief winemaker for Sacred Hill in Hawke’s Bay, Tony Bish crafts wines that have received accolades both here and internationally.

Jane Boyle

A senior wine-show judge, Jane Boyle brings to the role more than 25 years of experience in many facets of the wine industry in New Zealand and Australia.

Michael Brajkovich MW

Winemaker at Kumeu River Wines, his family-owned vineyard and winery, and current chairman of the Air New Zealand Wine Awards, Master of Wine Michael Brajkovich is a respected wine judge in Australia and New Zealand.

Jeff Clarke

With a wealth of experience in the New Zealand winemaking industry, Jeff Clarke is chief winemaker for ARA Wine Estate in Marlborough.

Peter Cowley

Winemaker at Hawke’s Bay’s Te Mata Estate for almost 30 years, Peter Cowley is now Te Mata’s technical director, responsible for all aspects of wine production from vine to bottle.

Mike DeGaris

Australian wine consultant and international judge Mike DeGaris has accrued many years of experience in winemaking and judging on both sides of the Tasman.